Blake Gordon donned his helmet, pads and skates and eased onto the ice, hockey stick in hand, ready to face the puck and his competitors.

Joining about 40 other kids ages from 4-12, Blake took part in National Try Hockey Day, part of National Skating Month, at the Channel Islands Ice Center in Oxnard.

"He's only on his seventh lesson," said his mom, Charlene Gordon. "He's wearing his figure skates because they tell the kids to start with those. That's what they do in Canada. They have to learn to skate before they can play the game."

At 5 years old, Blake stopped to help an older boy who had never skated before stand up on the ice.

USA Hockey and the National Hockey League sponsor National Try Hockey Day each year.

"We actually do them a couple of times a year," Wayne Gustafson, youth hockey director at Channel Islands Ice Center, said as he handed out helmets and pads to kids and parents who came to try out the ice. "I had 38 people register for today, and there are no fees. It's all free."

Melissa Harmon brought her son Ethan to try the sport for the first time.

"We tried him on the ice when he was 3, but he wasn't ready," she said. "But he's taken skating lessons a few times now. It really gives him something to look forward to. He channels that young-boy energy, and I really like watching him. It's so much fun to see him enjoying himself."

Gustafson said Try Hockey Day was a sales pitch, but one with no strings attached.

"It gives kids a chance to come out and try it without pressure and see if they like it," he said. "We keep plenty of equipment on hand because if kids do get involved, the equipment is expensive. This gives them a chance to try it and if in a couple of months they don't like it, they don't have to spend a fortune to find that out."

Monica Leivas, of Oxnard, was watching her son Kaikane, 15, play goalie.

"The kids can spend the whole day here and the staff is great," she said. "It's like a family. I feel completely safe dropping him off if I have to."

Kaikane has been playing for two years and is now a goalie on the youth hockey league 15- and 16-year-olds' team.

"It's a fast paced sport and it keeps me on edge," the Oxnard High School student said. "I really like playing. The school has a league through the center here, and I'm going to try out for that."

As the ice began to fill with kids eager to try hockey and the 10 or so coaches Gustafson had on hand, spontaneous scrimmages broke out and parents lined the rink-side windows to watch.

"I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and I played roller hockey as a kid," said Brett Gordon, Blake's dad. "Blake watched the L.A. Kings play this year and he loved it. We got him started with skating lessons, and he's having a lot of fun. It's something where he can bump into somebody and not have it be a crime."

The dad said he and his wife like the atmosphere of Channel Islands Ice Center.